Front Desk
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has warned that its members will embark on a nationwide strike beginning November 7, 2025, if the government fails to pay all outstanding funds owed to them under the arbitral award granted by the National Labour Commission (NLC) in May 2023.
Speaking to the media, CETAG President, Maxwell Bunu, said the association’s patience has run out due to what he described as the government’s “listless attitude” toward implementing the remaining components of the arbitral award.
He stated that although CETAG’s migration issue – one of the major components of the award – had been resolved earlier this year, several financial commitments remain unpaid.
“We actually issued a presser as a result of the government’s listless attitude towards implementing the remaining component of our arbitral award that we won from the National Labour Commission on 2nd May 2023.″
He explained that the 2023 – 2024 Book and Research Allowance arrears, which were tied to the migration process, were supposed to be paid together with this year’s (2025) allowance, as agreed between CETAG and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) on April 20. However, GTEC reportedly failed to submit the required data to the Ministry of Finance, delaying the release of funds.
According to Bunu, several aspects of CETAG’s award remain unimplemented, including the all-year-round work compensation for additional work performed in 2022. He lamented that despite repeated engagements with GTEC and the Ministry of Finance, no payment has been made.
“They have all kinds of excuses. Up to date, that money has not been paid. The last time we were at the Ministry of Finance, they said oh, they have done all the paperwork, it’s left with the memo to be signed. When will this memo be signed? Nobody will tell you anything.”
The CETAG President added that some lecturers were unfairly downgraded during the migration process despite having over two decades of experience – noting that though the association appealed to the regulator to grant these lecturers special allowances to keep them motivated, the request was rejected, further revealing that arrears for the 2022–2023 Book and Research Allowance remain unpaid, with Akrokerri College of Education being the only institution yet to receive its 2022 allowance despite multiple follow-ups.
Engagements and Ultimatum:
Bunu disclosed that CETAG has held several engagements with government agencies in an attempt to resolve the matter amicably. According to him, the association met with the Minister of Education earlier this year, who directed them to discuss the issues with “one Dr. Newman,” for better understanding.
“Subsequently, anytime I called Dr. Newman, he would tell me that he’s in the middle of a meeting. He wouldn’t want to sit with me on the matter. Meanwhile he even advised us to segregate the issues properly so that they will have a better understanding of things. And we have did everything they asked us to do.”
He said CETAG later sought intervention from the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, where Minister Hon. Rashid Pelpuo promised to help resolve the matter, but no action followed. According to him, the association also approached the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, Hon. Nortsu-Kotoe Kwasi Peter, who likewise pledged to intervene but has not followed through.
“My colleagues are actually disappointed in the government. They are not happy with the attitude that the government is actually employing on our issues,” he stressed, adding that CETAG has given the government until the end of October to fulfil its obligations.
He noted that the association has already notified the National Labour Commission (NLC) of its planned industrial action if the government fails to pay the arrears before November 7.
“We have given the government up to the end of this month because they already know the issues. They were aware of CETAG issues before they took office. And we have engaged them even after they have taken over office and still, can you imagine that we are here, talking about CETAG issues?”
He cautioned that should the arrears remain unpaid, CETAG members will not report to the lecture halls when the colleges reopen on November 11. “I think this is the only language governments understand, and we have to speak this language to them,” he concluded.
The Ministry of Education has yet to respond publicly to CETAG’s latest ultimatum, but sources indicate that discussions with the Ministry of Finance and GTEC are ongoing to address the matter before the strike deadline.